Ilya Bryzgalov has already endeared himself to all of us thanks to 24/7, but now he’s giving it up for the fans in Philly with the mask he’ll be wearing for the 2012 Winter Classic.

Instead of opting for Rocky Balboa and Benjamin Franklin, he’s running with Philly sports icons Reggie White, Mike Schmidt, “Dr. J” Julius Erving, Bobby Clarke, and Joe Frazier. If this mask was any more Philly it’d have a crazed Danny DeVito eating a sandwich from Geno’s/Pat’s/Tony Luke’s while playing flip cup. This is pretty cool just the same.

There’s not much else we can say about this. Tim Thomas is joining Jonas Hiller in the Movember movement and painting up his goalie mask to get in the spirit of things.

And what a mask it is.

InGoal Mag showed off Thomas’ fantastically painted up dome that features Lord Horatio Kitchener telling you to grow your mustache. Lord Horatio was made famous during World War I on recruiting posters throughout England. For Thomas to break out a guy with a great duster like that helps hammer home the theme.

Making it all the more fun is that Thomas is using his mask to help raise money for men’s health issues for Movember and making it all part of a contest wherein people will get to attend a Bruins game and meet Thomas himself.

Going all out for charity? What a great idea and what a beautiful piece of goalie art this is to make it all possible.

Goaltenders find inspiration from any number of different sources when pulling together a concept for a new mask. Some pay respect to the organization’s history and some keep the same general design no matter where they happen to play. Jason LaBarbera has always has some pretty cool masks for music fans to check out—from Metallica to Eddie Vedder.

This season, he’s taken it to a completely different level.

LaBarbera’s new mask pays homage to the great Arizonan (and American) Pat Tillman. For those who don’t live in Arizona or don’t remember his story, Tillman was the former Arizona Cardinals safety who left an NFL contract on the table in the wake of 9/11 to fight for his country. After a few tours, Tillman lost his life while serving as an Army Ranger in Afghanistan. Regardless of political beliefs, Tillman was a man who stepped up for his country during an emotional time of uncertainty and confusion.

“I wanted to make sure that all troops knew how much we respect and appreciate their sacrifices to protect our way of life. Pat’s story is well-known around the country and the world, but it’s so important here in Arizona were the people see him as their own. He is a part of Arizona sports history and our nation’s history and I wanted to show that.

“You walk by the Arizona Cardinals stadium (just across the street from Jobing.com Arena, home of the Coyotes) and you see the statue and it really impacts you what Pat Tillman did and the decision he made. Here’s a guy who gave up a very lucrative profession, something he loved and did all his life, to do what he thought was right. Not a lot of people can say that.”

It’s hard to explain what Pat Tillman meant to the sports landscape in the Phoenix area. He played with the hometown Arizona State Sun Devils, was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals, and thrived for both. During his time with the Cardinals, he had other offers to move onto greener (and more lucrative) pastures, but stayed to play with the Cardinals. In the wake of his untimely passing, both the Sun Devils and Cardinals have retired his number—you’ll see his name whether you attend a college or pro football game in the greater Phoenix area.

Sometimes goaltenders masks are silly at best—or self-serving at worst. But you have to give it up to the goaltenders this offseason for “getting it.” This year, we’ve seen tributes to the fallen enforcers, former NHLers who perished in the Lotomotiv plane crash, and now a soldier who fought for his country and still means a lot to his community.

If good things happen to good people, expect LaBarbera to have a heck of season as he shares time with Mike Smith this season.

While most players are busy growing out the playoff beard for the postseason (unless you’re Patrick Kane, then it’s time for the mullet) Flyers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky is new to the whole NHL playoffs thing. While the rookie goalie had a huge year in leading Philadelphia to the Atlantic Division title and the two seed in the Eastern Conference, finding a new way to show off for the playoffs can be difficult.

For a goalie, changing up the mask can be a sign of trying to change your luck or mixing up your superstitions, but Bobrovsky is going in another direction for inspiration. He’s going with Sideshow Bob. The tormentor of Bart Simpson adorns one side of Bobrovsky’s new lid just in time for the playoffs and as CSN Philly’s Sarah Baicker showed us on Twitter, it’s truly a glorious sight to behold.

Bobrovsky’s new mask also shows off Philadelphia folk hero Rocky Balboa on the other side adorned in the US flag, arms raised like the champion he was (belt or no belt) in six five movies. (Rocky V never happened, you hear me?!)

Going with Rocky on the helmet is obviously a nod to Philadelphia in itself but we’re just a little disappointed that the Russian netminder didn’t sneak in some love for Ivan Drago in Rocky IV just for fun. After all, this is the guy who had a fighter jet on his mask during the regular season, so why not just go all out with the sweaty, menacing mug of Dolph Lungdren as well?

As it stands, the only thing getting in the way of Bobrovsky now is either Apollo Creed or many carefully placed rakes. We’re thinking he doesn’t have to worry about any of those finding their way on the ice. Fortunately for Bobrovsky, there’s no one named Bartholomew on the Sabres to pester him in the first round of the playoffs.